Radical Fuel

Three Automakers Roll Out Hydrogen Models

Toyota has announced that it will market a hydrogen-powered car beginning with the 2015 model year, and Hyundai has also committed to rolling out its fuel-cell Tucson model next year. Honda has already begun leasing its hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity to customers in California.

Each of these vehicles can travel about 300 miles without a refill (three times the range of the hybrid Chevy Volt in battery mode), and reach a top speed of about 100 miles per hour. A refill takes just a few minutes, and because the hydrogen is used to produce electricity, the cars drive without the roar of an internal combustion engine. The cost of hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles is expected to continue to fall and eventually match that of conventional cars by 2023.